Bolton

Hike Bolton, CT

(Part of Tolland County)

If you’re looking for the best hiking trails in Bolton this is the complete guide to all the long trails, caves, and history it has to offer.

Links

• 2015 Open Space Plan Link
• Bolton Conservation Commission
• Bolton Historical Society
• CTMQ’s Guide to Bolton

Explore

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Town Parks

• Freja Park –★★– 0.88 miles – A gateway park offering access to the Shenipsit, Charter Oak Greenway, Hop River Trail, Bolton Notch and Risley Park
• Herrick Park –★★– 1 mile – Most people come for the sports fields, but there is a somewhat disused hiking loop
• Heritage Farm –★★– 2 miles – The site of a Rochambeau revolutionary war encampment, the grounds are pretty fun to explore
• Indian Notch Park – Unexplored

Land Trust

• Bolton Land Trust
  • Blackledge Marsh – Unexplored
  • Castlerock Lane –★– 0.6 miles – A pleasant but underwhelming out and back trail bookended by private property
  • Edith Toomey Clark Property –★★– 1.5 miles – Accessed off the Hop River Trail these woods offer a few nice surprises
  • Lombardi Ridge Preserve & Bobcat Woods –★★– 3.4 miles — Highlighted by the Rock Hollow spur in simple forest loops
• Manchester Land Conservation Trust
  • Risley Park –★★★– 3 miles – Maintained by CFPA, this has a short loop around the pond or a long loop near Box Mountain

State Parks / Forest

• Bolton Notch State Park –★★★– 2 miles – Highlights include the American Flag overlook and Squaw Cave
• Hop River State Park Trail – 3.6 miles of the trail run through Bolton
  • Steele’s Crossing — 2.3 miles
    • Parking: 29 Steeles Crossing Rd, Bolton, CT
    • Access to Heritage Farm one of Rochambeau’s revolutionary war encampments and Toomey Clark Preserve
    • Maintained by Greenway Ambassador Barbara Amodio
  • Bolton Notch — 1.3 miles
    • Parking: US-6, Bolton, CT
    • This section is also a part of the blue blaze Shenipsit Trail
    • The trail passes through deep rock cuts and has access to the Charter Oak Greenway, Freja Park, Bolton Notch State Park, and Squaw Cave

Blue Blaze

• Shenipsit Trail
  • East Coast Greenway –★★– 0.9 miles – Nice new paved section along I-384, nice for cyclists, not as great for hikers
  • Freja Park –★★– 0.54 miles – The Shenipsit passes an old drive-in before skirting the edge of Notch Pond
  • Hop River Trail –★★– 0.54 miles – These two trails overlap on this stone dust old rail bed
• Risley Park –★★★– 3 miles – Maintained by CFPA, this has a short loop around the pond or a long loop near Box Mountain

The Rest

• Porter/Howard Reservoir –★★★– 5 miles – Only the eastern most trail clips into Bolton, but beautiful looping trails into Manchester
• Charter Oak Greenway – Completed in 2016 this new section parallels I-384 as a link in the East Coast Greenway
  • East: Parking at Bolton Notch
  • West: Parking near Manchester

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• Lower Bolton Lake –★★– The largest and busiest of the three lakes, with plenty of room to explore, but not much for standout sites

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Coming soon!

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Coming soon!

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Now go out and hike Bolton, CT!